Bark for Your Park Rally Set Friday

July 4, 2013

Dogs and dog owners of the Ohio Valley will unite Friday to bark for a dog park.

As part of the First Friday events planned in Wheeling, the Wheeling Dog Park Association is holding a rally to raise awareness, garner support and celebrate these four-legged friends. The Bark for Your Park Rally will be held at the patio at WesBanco Arena.

Events include a dog walk, music and food vendors. Registration for the dog walk begins at 5:30 p.m. with the walk starting at 6 p.m. Owners and their pooches will march from the waterfront north on Heritage Trail to the steps at Uncle Pete's and back.

Nominated by a member of the Wheeling Dog Park Association, the city has advanced from nearly 1,000 communities across the nation to become one of 15 finalists in the PetSafe's "Bark for Your Park" online voting contest. The city with the most votes will receive $100,000 to build a PetSafe dog park. Three runners-up and the city with the highest percentage of votes relative to its population each will receive $25,000. Winners will be announced July 31.

Nominated cities can earn up to two votes each day per voter, one at PetSafe.net and one on the PetSafe Facebook page.

On Fridays, each voter can earn an additional seven votes by participating in the "7 Vote Sniff Out" by locating the page of the day on PetSafe's website and answering the corresponding question.

For more information about the contest, how to vote, clues to the "7 Vote Sniff Out and upcoming events, visit www.wheelingdogpark.com.